iPlayer is a treat from the BBC to its viewers in the UK. The broadcasting network produces content, and it lets locals view them from the comfort of their mobile devices. Think of it as the relationship seemingly every other popular Internet streaming service has with the US, at least initially.

Now folks living on that small little island across the pond can also stream content to their Android TV, as long as it's a SHIELD box. NVIDIA has made an app, with the BBC's permission, exclusively for SHIELD Android TV.

Yup, it's an app that you can only use in a certain country on a particular device.

BBC iPlayer is Internet streaming's gift to the UK. The service is packed to the brim with British TV shows and documentaries, and the Android app offers a nice way to consume as much as you can.

And while you're at it, now you can get a taste of upcoming features as well. The BBC has launched an official beta testing program in the Play Store. It's open to anyone with a Google account and an Android device, as long as they live in the UK.

Brits have been able to stream BBC audio content to the iPlayer Radio app for a couple of years now, as long as they're using a phone. Now the company has decided to spit out an alternative made just for tablets, and it's included a few new features to boot.

A tablet comes with a few inherent advantages over a phone, and this app taps into that for full effect. That large screen leaves users with controls for easily managing both live and on-demand content. It also allows more of the guide's information to fit on-screen at once. Things are viewable in both landscape and portrait mode, so you can hold your tablet however you wish.

Here's one for UK folks—BBC iPlayer has been updated with some cool features just in time for the holidays. Should you find yourself without sufficient bandwidth, you can entertain yourself with your favorite programs offline for 30 days. You just need to download them to your device. As if we weren't already jealous enough of your iPlayer access.

Back in September, the BBC iPlayer jumped to version 2.0 and introduced the ability for users to download full episodes and store them for up to 30 days. At the time, the feature only worked on the eleven devices that the developers tested. Now it should work on any Android device running Ice Cream Sandwich or above.

For our readers across the pond, BBC iPlayer takes some of the network's shows and provides them for easy viewing on Android devices. What about the TV? The latest version of the app has that covered too. This would be a surprise, but we already spilled the beans on this release a few days ago. We knew this update was to coincide with the launch of Chromecasts in the UK on March 19th, and now it's here.

A reader has reported to us that casting may not work on imported Chromecasts until they've first been factory reset. This will then change them from "US" to "GB." Afterwards, the cast button should appear.

The UK citizens have sounded off on the BBC iPlayer's Play Store reviews, loudly and often: it's sitting at a depressing 2.9 stars, with more 1-star reviews than any others. The Beeb has been slowly improving the streaming video app, and today it gets a long-overdue update to version 1.7, finally including support for 10-inch tablets. I honestly have no idea why that was such a hurdle for an international media company, but hey, there it is. The app is still free for UK citizens who've paid their television licence, and forbidden to everyone else.

The user interface on phones and smaller tablets has been adjusted slightly.

For those unfamiliar, the BBC iPlayer allows our friends in the United Kingdom to watch live BBC programming on the go. Featured shows and up to seven days of previous content are also available for streaming. The application is incompatible with international devices, so don't bother paying the Play Store a visit if London is more than a couple hundred miles away from where you live. And the latest update to the app ushers in support for 1080p displays, allowing it to take advantage of the latest-gen handsets.

The experience is also said to be "improved" for devices like the Galaxy S III, Nexus 4, and Note II.

The BBC iPlayer video application has been available to Android-totting Englishmen for some time, but the audio equivalent has sadly lagged behind. Today the app finally lands on Android, and it was worth the wait: BBC Licence Fee subscribers can listen to the various radio stations over WiFi or mobile Internet, and it even works when they travel abroad. Unfortunately, the service isn't available to international users at any price.

The interface of iPlayer Radio is an interesting mix of Holo elements and unique ideas, particularly a station selector that apes an old-school rotary phone dialer. Once you've selected a radio station, you're presented information about the current track or show, along with the standard social sharing functions.

Today, the UK's public broadcasting service, the BBC, upgraded its mobile app for Android. The update brings improvements to the UI to bring the interface a bit more in line with Android's Holo guidelines. The new version also adds support for Jelly Bean 4.2, improved video streaming over WiFi, and a new content channel.

Here's the full changelog:

What's in this version:

Many thanks for all of your feedback on our last update. Here’s what’s new in this release:- We’ve polished up the design of the app- Video performance over Wi-Fi has been improved(with more improvements still to come)- Added Android 4.2 Jelly Bean support- You’ll find a new channel - BBC AlbaAs ever, let us know what you think @bbciplayer

Of course, the BBC iPlayer isn't available outside the UK, so international users need not excite themselves too much.